Question

Which of these statements about symbols is true?​ a. ​Only material elements can be represented by symbols. b. ​In some cultures, symbols are relatively unimportant. c. ​Culture could not exist without symbols. d. ​Symbols generally have either an exclusively positive or negative meaning.

Answer 1

Answer:

d. ​Symbols generally have either an exclusively positive or negative meaning.

Explanation:

The term symbol, originating in the Greek symbolon, designates a type of sign in which the signifier (concrete reality) represents something abstract (religions, nations, amounts of time or matter, etc.) by virtue of convention, similarity or semantic contiguity (as in the case of the cross that represents Christianity, because it is a part of the whole that is the image of the dead Christ). Charles Sanders Pierce has developed a general classification of signs. As a sign, "symbol" is always something that represents something else (to someone).

The "symbol" is an essential element in the communication process, being widespread in everyday life and in the most varied aspects of human knowledge. Although there are symbols that are internationally recognized, others are only understood within a particular group or context (religious, cultural, etc.), it can also be an object that replaces, represents, or suggests something.